Wellhead Gas Heater

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are disclosed that may include providing a wellhead gas burner to burn wellhead gas produced from a wellhead to heat water and/or other chemicals used in hydrocarbon production and/or well completion processes, including, but not limited to hydraulic fracturing (fracking). The wellhead gas burner may include a pressure regulator and an expansion chamber that permit the wellhead gas burner to continuously operate and accommodate wellhead gas pressure fluctuations. The wellhead gas burner may also be configured as a primary heat source and integrated with a traditional propane/diesel gas burner system configured as a supplemental heat source. The wellhead gas burner may also be mounted to a mobile superheater truck.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation-in-part application of theprior filed and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/187,395filed on Jun. 20, 2016 by Briggs, entitled “Wellhead Gas Heater,” whichis a divisional application of the prior filed and co-pending U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/509,647 filed on Oct. 8, 2014 by Briggs,entitled “Wellhead Gas Heater,” which claims priority under 35 U.S.C.§119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/039,343 filed onAug. 19, 2014 by Briggs and entitled “Wellhead Gas Heater,” thedisclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND

Traditional frac heaters are generally equipped with propane or dieselfired heater units. These propane or diesel fired heater units aredesigned to operate at well sites and heat water and/or other chemicalsused for hydrocarbon production and/or well completion processes (i.e.fracking). Because large volumes of water are typically needed duringfracking, large amounts of propane or diesel fuel are also needed toheat such large amounts of water. However, the cost of propane hasincreased exponentially in recent years, thereby escalating theassociated production and/or well completion expenses. Typically, gasproduced from the wellhead (referred to as “wellhead gas” or “dirtygas”), can experience rapid pressure fluctuations and is oftencontaminated with other chemicals. Due to the fluctuation of thewellhead gas pressure and contamination levels of the wellhead gas,previous attempts to use the wellhead gas to heat the water and/or otherchemicals required for production and/or well completion processes havefailed. Thus, wellhead gas is generally considered a byproduct and isburned off and/or flared in many instances.

SUMMARY

In some embodiments of the disclosure, a wellhead gas burner isdisclosed as comprising a supply line configured to couple to a wellheadgas source and configured to flow wellhead gas at a first velocity, anexpansion chamber in fluid communication with the supply line andconfigured to flow wellhead gas at a second velocity that is less thanthe first velocity, a fuel rail in fluid communication with theexpansion chamber, and at least one fuel rail finger in fluidcommunication to the fuel rail, wherein the at least one fuel railfinger comprises a plurality of combustion chambers, and wherein eachcombustion chamber comprises a combustion tube holder that at leastpartially envelopes a combustion tube.

In other embodiments of the disclosure, a wellhead gas burner isdisclosed as comprising a supply line configured to couple to a wellheadgas source and configured to flow wellhead gas at a first pressure, anexpansion chamber in fluid communication with the supply line andconfigured to flow wellhead gas at a second pressure that is less thanthe first velocity, a first fuel rail in fluid communication with theexpansion chamber, and at least one fuel rail finger connected in fluidcommunication to the first fuel rail, wherein the at least one fuel railfinger comprises a plurality of combustion chambers, wherein eachcombustion chamber comprises a combustion tube holder that at leastpartially envelopes a combustion tube, and wherein the plurality of fuelrail fingers are configured to integrate with a traditional gas burner.

In yet other embodiments of the disclosure, a method of burning wellheadgas is disclosed as comprising: producing wellhead gas from a wellhead;expanding the wellhead gas; distributing the expanded wellhead gas;combusting the distributed wellhead gas; heating a wellbore treatmentfluid with heat produced by the combustion of the distributed wellheadgas; and treating a wellbore with the heated wellbore treatment fluid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and theadvantages thereof, reference is now made to the following briefdescription, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings anddetailed description

FIG. 1 is a schematic of a wellhead gas superheater system according toan embodiment of the disclosure,

FIG. 2 is a schematic of a wellhead gas burner according to anembodiment of the disclosure,

FIG. 3 is a detailed cutaway view of a combustion chamber mounted to afuel rail finger of the wellhead gas burner of FIG. 2 according to anembodiment of the disclosure,

FIG. 4 is a schematic of a wellhead gas burner according to anotherembodiment of the disclosure,

FIG. 5 is a detailed cutaway view of a combustion chamber mounted to afuel rail finger of the wellhead gas burner of FIG. 4 according to anembodiment of the disclosure,

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method of burning wellhead gas according toan embodiment of the disclosure,

FIG. 7 is a schematic of a superheater truck according to an embodimentof the disclosure,

FIG. 8 is a schematic of the burner box of the superheater truck of FIG.7 according to an embodiment of the disclosure,

FIG. 9 is a schematic of a portion of the vent of the superheater truckof FIG. 7 according to an embodiment of the disclosure,

FIG. 10 is a schematic of a superheater truck according to anotherembodiment of the disclosure,

FIG. 11 is a schematic of a superheater truck according to anotheralternative embodiment of the disclosure, and

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a method of operating a superheater truckaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It should be understood at the outset that although an illustrativeimplementation of one or more embodiments are provided below, thedisclosed systems and/or methods may be implemented using any number oftechniques, whether currently known or in existence. The disclosureshould in no way be limited to the illustrative implementations,drawings, and techniques illustrated below, including the exemplarydesigns and implementations illustrated and described herein, but may bemodified within the scope of the appended claims along with their fullscope of equivalents.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic of a wellhead gas superheatersystem 100 is shown according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Thewellhead gas superheater system 100 may generally be configured toreceive unrefined or refined wellhead gas produced from the wellhead 102and burn the wellhead gas to heat water and/or other chemicals used forhydrocarbon production drilling, and/or well completion processes (i.e.fracking). Wellhead gas may be defined as any gas produced from awellhead that has not been refined, processed, and/or chemically alteredin any manner. Wellhead gas therefore is substantially the same as thenatural gas when it is in the subterranean formation (e.g. mostlymethane with some heavier hydrocarbons). In some instances, the wellheadgas may also comprise the same temperature and/or pressure as the gaswhen it is located in the subterranean formation. As wellhead gas isproduced from the wellhead 102, a first flow line 104 is configured toreceive the wellhead gas from the wellhead 102. The first flow line 104may generally comprise any suitable pipeline, tubing, and/or otherhollow vessel suitable for carrying, receiving, and/or transportingwellhead gas. The first flow line 104 is configured to carry thewellhead gas to a separator 106.

The separator 106 may generally comprise any device configured toreceive wellhead gas and separate the gas to be used by the wellhead gassuperheater system 100 from the produced oil and/or any other liquidsproduced from the wellhead 102. More specifically, the separator 106 maybe configured to remove hydrocarbons and/or any other particulates inorder to regulate, maximize, and/or provide a consistent British ThermalUnit (BTU) level in the wellhead gas to be used in the wellhead gassuperheater system 100. A sufficient BTU level may generally comprise atleast about 250 BTU per cubic foot, at least about 500 BTU per cubicfoot, at least about 1000 BTU per cubic foot, at least about 2500 BTUper cubic foot, or at least about 3500 BTU per cubic foot. In someembodiments, the separator may comprise a HIPOWER Unprocessed GasConditioning System Model FCS-25, FCS-50, FCS-100, FCS-250, or FCS-500,manufactured by Himoinsa Power Systems, Inc or any other equivalenttreator or separator from any other manufacturer. In some embodiments,the separator 106 may comprise a sales line 108. The sales line 108 maybe used to collect natural gas liquids, heavy oils, and/or otherbyproducts from the separator 106 that are not commercially valuableand/or utilized within the wellhead gas superheater system 100. From theseparator 106, the wellhead gas is passed through a second flow line 110to the superheater truck 112. Similar to the first flow line 104, thesecond flow line 110 may also comprise any suitable pipeline, tubing,and/or other hollow vessel suitable for carrying, receiving, and/ortransporting wellhead gas. It will be appreciated that the first flowline 104 and the second flow line 110 comprise a diameter of at leastabout 1.5″ (38.1 mm). However, in some embodiments, the first flow line104 and the second flow line 110 may comprise a diameter of at leastabout 2.0″ (51 mm), and/or at least about 2.5″ (63.5 mm). In alternativeembodiments, the first flow line 104 and/or the second flow line 110 maycomprise a diameter of at least about 0.5″ (12.7 mm) up to about 24″(609.6 mm).

The superheater truck 112 may generally comprise at least one supplyline union 114 that is configured to connect and/or couple to the secondflow line 110 for receiving and/or importing the wellhead gas into thesuperheater truck 112. In some embodiments, however, the superheatertruck 112 may comprise a plurality of supply line unions 114 and beconfigured to receive wellhead gas from a plurality of wellheads 102.From the supply line union 114, the wellhead gas may be carried by asupply line (not pictured, but discussed in greater detail later) anddelivered to a wellhead gas burner 116. The wellhead gas burner 116 isgenerally configured to burn the wellhead gas produced from the wellhead102. By burning the wellhead gas in the wellhead gas burner 116, heatproduced from the combustion of the wellhead gas may be used to heat thewater and/or other chemicals used in hydrocarbon production and/or wellcompletion processes, including, but not limited to, fracking. Thesuperheater truck 112 may also comprise a storage tank 120. In someembodiments, the wellhead gas burner 116 may also comprise a heatexchanger that improves heat transfer between the water and/or otherchemicals and the wellhead gas burner 116 and/or a traditional gasburner 118. The traditional gas burner 118 may be configured to burnpropane and/or diesel fuel to heat the water and/or other chemicals usedfor the aforementioned production and/or well completion processes. Insome embodiments, and as will be discussed in greater detail herein, thetraditional gas burner 118 may be used in conjunction with the wellheadgas burner 116, to supplement the wellhead gas burner 116, and/or inplace of the wellhead gas burner 116. It will be appreciated that thewellhead gas burner 116 and the traditional gas burner 118 may bereferred to as a dual fuel burner and/or a duel fuel frac heater.

In some embodiments, the wellhead gas superheater system 100 may notcomprise a separator 106. In such embodiments, the first flow line 104may be configured to carry the wellhead gas directly from the wellhead102 to the supply line union 114 of the superheater truck 112. Further,while the wellhead gas burner 116 and the traditional gas burner 118 areshown mounted to and/or carried by the superheater truck 112, in someembodiments, the wellhead gas burner 116 and/or the traditional gasburner 118 may alternatively be a standalone burner unit and/or mountedon a skid or trailer. Additionally, it will be appreciated that in someembodiments a plurality of wellhead gas superheater systems 100 may beconfigured to receive wellhead gas produced from the wellhead 102 andburn the wellhead gas to heat water and/or other chemicals used forhydrocarbon production and/or well completion processes.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a schematic of a wellhead gas burner 200 isshown according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Wellhead gas burner200 may generally be substantially similar to the wellhead gas burner116 in FIG. 1 and be capable of being used in the superheater truck 112of the wellhead gas superheater system 100 of FIG. 1. Wellhead gasburner 200 generally comprises a supply line union 202, a plurality ofvalves 206, 218, a pressure regulator 210, a plurality of supply linesections 204, 208, 216 configured to carry wellhead gas through thewellhead gas burner 200, an expansion chamber 212, a fuel rail 220, aplurality of fuel rail fingers 222 that extend from the fuel rail 220,and a plurality of combustion chambers 224 attached to each fuel railfinger 222.

The supply line union 202 may generally be substantially similar tosupply line union 114 in FIG. 1 and be configured to connect and/orcouple a first supply line section 204 to a fluid flow line, such as thefirst flow line 104 and/or the second flow line 110 of FIG. 1. In someembodiments, the supply line union 202 may comprise a 2.0″ (51 mm)hammer union, while the first supply line section 204 comprises a 2.0″(51 mm) diameter pipe. In alternative embodiments, the supply line union202 and/or the first supply line section 204 may comprise a diameter ofat least about 0.5″ (12.7 mm) up to about 24″ (609.6 mm). The wellheadgas burner 200 may also comprise a first valve 206 connected and/orcoupled to the first supply line section 204 at an end opposite from thesupply line union 202. The first valve 206 may be configured as a globevalve, a gate valve, a ball valve, and/or any other suitable shutoffvalve that may substantially restrict and/or prevent fluid flow throughthe first valve 206 and/or the wellhead gas burner 200. In someembodiments, the first valve 206 may comprise a 2.0″ (51 mm) valve. Inalternative embodiments, the first valve 206 may comprise a diameter ofat least about 0.5″ (12.7 mm) up to about 24″ (609.6 mm). The firstvalve 206 may generally be located between the first supply line section204 and a second supply line section 208. Similar to the first supplyline section 204, the second supply line section 208 may also comprise a2.0″ (51 mm) diameter pipe. Alternatively, in other embodiments, thesecond supply line section 208 may comprise a diameter of at least about0.5″ (12.7 mm) up to about 24″ (609.6 mm).

The wellhead gas burner 200 may also comprise a pressure regulator 210.The pressure regulator 210 may be connected and/or coupled to the secondsupply line section 208 at an end opposite from the first valve 206. Thepressure regulator 210 may generally be configured to regulate thepressure of the wellhead gas flowing through the wellhead gas burner200. In some embodiments, the pressure regulator 210 may comprise a0.374″ (9.5 mm) orifice that substantially regulates the pressure of thewellhead gas flowing through the wellhead gas burner 200. The pressureregulator 210 may generally be connected to and/or coupled to theexpansion chamber 212. In some embodiments, however, the wellhead gasburner 200 may not comprise a pressure regulator 210.

Because wellhead gas produced from a wellhead, such as the wellhead 102in FIG. 1, can experience large pressure fluctuations, the expansionchamber 212 may generally be configured to accommodate, regulate, and/orcontrol such pressure fluctuations in the wellhead gas. In someembodiments, the expansion chamber may accommodate wellhead gaspressures from about 5 pounds per square inch (psi) to about 15,000 psi.The expansion chamber 212 may also be configured to provide a sufficientvolume for storing wellhead gas so that the flow of wellhead gas to thecombustion chambers 224 remains uninterrupted. The expansion chamber 212may also be configured to provide sufficient internal volume to allowfor the wellhead gas to expand within the expansion chamber 212.Further, by configuring the expansion chamber 212 with a sufficientvolume, the wellhead gas burner 200 may accommodate the pressurefluctuations from the wellhead and/or provide a smoother, moreconsistent flow of wellhead gas to components disposed downstream of theexpansion chamber 212 despite the wellhead gas pressure and/orfluctuations from the wellhead. In some embodiments, the expansionchamber 212 may comprise a 2.0″ (51 mm) diameter pipe and comprise alength of at least about 10 feet (3.048 meters). In embodiments wherethe expansion chamber comprises the 2.0″ (51 mm) diameter pipe, thewellhead gas burner 200 may accommodate at least about one-hundred sixtycombustion chambers 224 and a wellhead gas flow rate of at least about35,000 cubic feet of gas per hour. In other embodiments, the expansionchamber 212 may comprise a 3.0″ (76.2 mm) diameter pipe and comprise alength of at least about 10 feet (3.048 meters). In embodiments wherethe expansion chamber comprises the 3.0″ (76.2 mm) diameter pipe, thewellhead gas burner 200 may accommodate at least about three-hundredcombustion chambers 224 and a wellhead gas flow rate of at least about90,000 cubic feet of gas per hour. In alternative embodiments, theexpansion chamber 212 may comprise a diameter of at least about 0.5″(12.7 mm) up to about 24″ (609.6 mm).

The wellhead gas burner 200 may also comprise a second valve 218. Thesecond valve 218 may be substantially similar to the first valve 206 andbe configured as a globe valve, a gate valve, a ball valve, and/or anyother suitable shutoff valve that may substantially restrict and/orprevent fluid flow through the second valve 218 and/or the wellhead gasburner 200. In some embodiments, the second valve 218 may comprise a2.0″ (51 mm) valve. In alternative embodiments, the second valve 218 maycomprise a diameter of at least about 0.5″ (12.7 mm) up to about 24″(609.6 mm). The second valve may generally be connected to and/orcoupled to the expansion chamber 212. However, in some embodiments, thesecond valve 218 may be connected and/or coupled to the expansionchamber 212 through a fitting 214 and a third supply line section 216.Similar to the first supply line section 204 and the second supply linesection 208, the third supply line section 216 may also comprise a 2.0″(51 mm) diameter pipe. In alternative embodiments, the third supply linesection 216 may comprise a diameter of at least about 0.5″ (12.7 mm) upto about 24″ (609.6 mm).

It will be appreciated that while a plurality of supply line sections204, 208, 216 and only one fitting 214 are disclosed, in someembodiments the wellhead gas burner 200 may comprise a fewer or agreater number of supply line sections 204, 208, 216 and/or fittings 214to accommodate a fewer or greater number of components and/or to routethe supply line through a superheater truck, such as superheater truck112 in FIG. 1. Further, it will be appreciated that the valves 206, 218are included in the wellhead gas burner 200 for safety. Accordingly, insome embodiments, the wellhead gas burner 200 may only comprise onevalve 206, 218. However, in other embodiments, the wellhead gas burner200 may comprise more than two valves 206, 218. As one exemplaryembodiment, in embodiments where the wellhead gas burner 200 comprisesonly valve 218, the supply line union 202 may be connected and/orcoupled to the pressure regulator 210 via either the first supply linesection 204 or the second supply line section 208. Still in someembodiments, it will be appreciated that no expansion chamber 212 may beused, and the pressure regulator 210 may be directly coupled in fluidcommunication with a third supply line 216 and/or the fuel rail 220. Itwill further be appreciated that the components configured to carryand/or transport the wellhead gas to the wellhead gas burner 200 maycomprise substantially similar sizes that may comprise a diameter rangefrom at least about 0.5″ (12.7 mm) up to about 24″ (609.6 mm).

The wellhead gas burner 200 also comprises a fuel rail 220. The fuelrail 220 may generally be connected to and/or coupled to the secondvalve 218. In some embodiments, the fuel rail 220 may comprise at leastabout 1.5″ schedule 40 pipe. However, in some embodiments, the fuel rail220 may comprise at least about 2.0″ schedule 40 pipe and/or at leastabout 2.5″ schedule 40 pipe. In yet other embodiments, the fuel rail 220may comprise at least about 1.5″ schedule 80 pipe, at least about 2.0″schedule 80 pipe, and/or at least about 2.5″ schedule 80 pipe for highpressure wellhead gas burner 200 applications. In alternativeembodiments, the fuel rail 220 may comprise a diameter of at least about0.5″ (12.7 mm) up to about 24″ (609.6 mm).

The fuel rail 220 generally comprises a plurality of fuel rail fingers222 mounted, secured, welded, and/or otherwise attached to the fuel rail220. In some embodiments, the fuel rail 220 may comprise at least abouteight fuel rail fingers 222. However, in other embodiments, the fuelrail 220 may comprise any number of fuel rail fingers 222 depending onthe configuration of the wellhead gas burner 200. The fuel rail fingers222 may also be in fluid communication with the fuel rail 220 and beconfigured to receive wellhead gas from the fuel rail 220. In someembodiments, the fuel rail fingers 222 may comprise at least about 1.0″schedule 40 pipe. However, in some embodiments, the fuel rail fingers222 may comprise at least about 1.25″ schedule 40 pipe and/or at leastabout 1.5″ schedule 40 pipe. In yet other embodiments, the fuel railfingers 222 may comprise at least about 1.0″ schedule 80 pipe, at leastabout 1.25″ schedule 80 pipe, and/or at least about 1.5″ schedule 80pipe for high pressure wellhead gas burner 200 applications.Alternatively, the fuel rail fingers 222 may comprise a diameter of atleast about 0.5″ (12.7 mm) up to about 24″ (609.6 mm).

Each fuel rail finger 222 generally comprises a plurality of combustionchambers 224 mounted, secured, welded, and/or attached to each of thefuel rail fingers 222. Each of the plurality of combustion chambers 224comprises a combustion tube holder 226, a combustion tube 228, and acombustion nozzle 230. The combustion chambers 224 may generally beconfigured to allow wellhead gas to exit the fuel rail fingers 222 andcombust within the combustion chamber 224. It will be appreciated thatin some embodiments, each fuel rail finger 222 comprises as manycombustion chambers 224 as possible according to the length of the fuelrail fingers 222. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the combustionchambers 224 may be spaced at least about 3.5″ (89 mm) apart as measuredfrom the center of one combustion chamber 224 to the most adjacentlylocated combustion chamber 224 and along the length of one of the fuelrail fingers 222. However, in other embodiments, the combustion chambers224 may be spaced at any distance as measured from center to centeralong the length of the fuel rail finger 222 to accommodate the largestnumber of combustion chambers 224 on each fuel rail finger 222 based onthe largest overall outer diameter of the combustion chambers 224 and/orthe outer diameter of the combustion tube holder 226. Although notshown, the wellhead gas burner 200 may also comprise one or moreigniters that facilitate ignition of the combustion process in thecombustion chambers 224.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a detailed cutaway view of a combustion chamber224 mounted to a fuel rail finger 222 of the wellhead gas burner 200 ofFIG. 2 is shown according to an embodiment of the disclosure. As stated,each combustion chamber 224 comprises a combustion tube holder 226, acombustion tube 228, and a combustion nozzle 230. Each combustion tubeholder 226 may generally be configured to accommodate and/or receive acombustion tube 228 within the inner diameter of the combustion tubeholder 226 such that the combustion tube holder 226 partially,substantially, or completely envelopes the combustion tube 228.Accordingly, the inner diameter of each of the combustion tube holders226 may be smaller than the outer diameter of the combustion tube 228.In some embodiments, the combustion tube holders 226 may comprise atleast about 2.0″ schedule 40 pipe, while the combustion tubes 228comprise about 1.5″ schedule 40 pipe. However, in some embodiments, thecombustion tube holders 226 may comprise at least about 2.5″ schedule 40pipe and/or at least about 3.0″ schedule 40 pipe, while the combustiontubes 228 comprise about 2.0″ schedule 40 pipe and/or 2.5″ schedule 40pipe, respectively. In yet other embodiments, the combustion tubeholders 226 may comprise at least about 2.0″ schedule 80 pipe, at leastabout 2.5″ schedule 80 pipe, and/or at least about 3.0″ schedule 80pipe, while the combustion tubes 228 comprise 1.5″ schedule 80 pipe,2.0″ schedule 80 pipe, and/or 2.5″ schedule 80 pipe, respectively, forhigh pressure wellhead gas burner 200 applications.

Each combustion chamber 224 may be configured such that the combustiontube 228 may be longer than the combustion tube holder 226. Thecombustion tube holder 226 and the combustion tube 228 may generally bealigned on the end that substantially abuts the fuel rail finger 222.Accordingly, in some embodiments, the combustion tube holder 226 maycomprise a length of at least about 2.0″ (51 mm), while the combustiontube 228 may comprise a length of at least about 5.0″ (127 mm). However,in other embodiments, the combustion tube holder 226 may comprise alength of at least about 2.0″ (51 mm), while the combustion tube 228comprises any length that is greater than the length of the combustiontube holder 226 and/or that is configured to provide the most efficientwellhead gas combustion for the wellhead gas burner 200.

The combustion nozzles 230 each generally comprise a threaded bung 232,a threaded nozzle 234, and an orifice 236 and are located substantiallyin the center of each associated combustion chamber 224. The threadedbung 232 may generally be welded to the fuel rail finger 222 anddisposed over an opening and/or hole in the fuel rail finger 222. Thethreaded bung 232 comprises a threaded opening 238 that comprisesthreads that are complementary to threads on the outer surface of thethreaded nozzle 234. The threaded nozzle 234 may be inserted into thecomplementary threaded opening 238 of the threaded bung 232 by rotatablyinserting the threaded nozzle 234 into the threaded opening 238 of thethreaded bung 232. The threaded nozzle 234 comprises an orifice 236 thatextends through the threaded nozzle 234 substantially along the lengthof the threaded nozzle 234. The orifice 236 may generally be configuredto control the amount of the wellhead gas, the pressure of the wellheadgas, and/or the flow rate of the wellhead gas entering the combustionchamber 224. In some embodiments, the orifice 236 may comprise at leastabout a #40 orifice (0.098″, 2.49 mm). However, in other embodiments,the orifice 236 may comprise at least about a #30 orifice and/or atleast about a #50 orifice. It will be appreciated that the orifice sizemay be larger than that of a traditional gas burner, such as traditionalgas burner 118 in FIG. 1, which may produce a hotter flame as comparedto such traditional gas burners. The orifice 236 may generally remain influid communication with the threaded bung 232 and/or the hole and/oropening in the fuel rail finger 222 to allow wellhead gas that flowsthrough the fuel rail finger 222 to escape the fuel rail finger 222through a fluid path that extends through the orifice 236 of thethreaded nozzle 234 and into an internal cavity 240 of the combustionchamber 224 that is defined by the inner volume of the combustion tube228. It is within the internal cavity 240 of the combustion chamber 224that combustion of the wellhead gas occurs. Alternatively, as opposed tothe threaded bung 232 and the threaded nozzle 234, each combustionnozzle 230 may comprise an orifice 236 that comprises a hole drilled inthe fuel rail finger 222. In such embodiments, the orifices 236 maycomprise at least about a #30 orifice up to about a #50 orifice.

Referring now to both FIGS. 2 and 3, in operation, the wellhead gasburner 200 may receive unrefined wellhead gas from a wellhead, such aswellhead 102 in FIG. 1, to heat water and/or other chemicals used forhydrocarbon production and/or well completion processes. In someembodiments, the wellhead gas may be passed through a separator, such asseparator 106 in FIG. 1, prior to entering the wellhead gas burner 200.However, in other embodiments, a separator, such as separator 106, maynot be used, and the wellhead gas may enter the wellhead gas burner 200directly from the wellhead. The wellhead gas may enter the wellhead gasburner 200 through the supply line union 202. From the supply line union202, the wellhead gas may flow through the first supply line section 204to the first valve 206. The first valve 206 may be configured torestrict and/or prevent flow through the wellhead gas burner 200. Afterpassing through the first valve 206, wellhead gas may flow through thesecond supply line section 208 to the pressure regulator 210. Thepressure regulator 210 may be configured to restrict and/or prevent flowthrough the wellhead gas burner 200 and/or may be configured to controlthe pressure of the wellhead gas entering the expansion chamber 212. Forexample, in some embodiments, the pressure regulator 210 may prevent thepressure in the expansion chamber 212 from exceeding about 150 psi.

In the expansion chamber 212, the wellhead gas may expand. By expandingthe wellhead gas in the expansion chamber 212, the wellhead gas maysubstantially fill the expansion chamber 212. Additionally, the pressureof the wellhead gas in the expansion chamber 212 may be less than thepressure of the wellhead gas in the first supply line section 204 and/orthe second supply line section 208. By controlling the pressure of thewellhead gas entering and/or contained within the expansion chamber 212,pressure fluctuations from the wellhead may be neutralized, therebyallowing the flow rate of the wellhead gas through the remainder of thewellhead gas burner 200 to remain substantially constant and/oruninterrupted. Accordingly, by controlling the pressure of the wellheadgas in the expansion chamber 212 through the pressure regulator 210and/or allowing the wellhead gas to expand within the expansion chamber212, fluctuations in wellhead gas pressure may have a minimal effect onthe delivery of wellhead gas to the combustion chambers 224. Further, itwill be appreciated that the velocity of the wellhead gas through theexpansion chamber 212 may be less than the velocity of the wellhead gasthrough the first supply line section 204 and/or the second supply linesection 208.

In some embodiments, the expansion chamber 212 may allow the wellheadgas to be continuously combusted by lowering the velocity of thewellhead gas. It is theorized that lower wellhead gas velocities in theexpansion chamber (and hence greater residence time) can normalizepressure and composition fluctuations in the wellhead gas and produce amore stable combustion process. Generally, the wellhead gas velocity inthe expansion chamber 212 may be about 10% to about 70%, about 40% toabout 60%, or about 50% less than the wellhead gas velocity in the firstsupply line section 204. For example, when the first supply line section204 is 2″ schedule 40 pipe, the expansion chamber 212 is 3″ schedule 40pipe, and the flow rate of the wellhead gas is 70,000 cubic feet perhour, the wellhead gas velocity in the supply line section 204 is about208 feet per second (fps), whereas the wellhead gas velocity in theexpansion chamber 212 is about 94.6 fps, a reduction of about 55%.

In other embodiments, the expansion chamber 212 may allow the wellheadgas to be continuously combusted by maintaining a consistent pressure ofthe wellhead gas. By maintaining consistent wellhead gas pressure in theexpansion chamber 212, a more stable combustion process may bemaintained. Generally, the wellhead gas pressure in the expansionchamber 212 may be about 5-25% less, about 8-12% less, or about 10% lessthan the wellhead gas pressure in the first supply line section 204 whenno separator, such as separator 106 in FIG. 1, is used. However, thewellhead gas pressure in the expansion chamber 212 may be about 5-50%less, about 10-40% less, or about 25% less than the wellhead gaspressure in the first supply line section 204 when a separator, such asseparator 106 in FIG. 1, is used.

From the expansion chamber 212, wellhead gas may be passed through afitting 214 and/or a third supply line section 216 to the second valve218. The second valve 218 may be configured to further restrict and/orprevent the flow of wellhead gas through the wellhead gas burner 200.After passing through the second valve 218, the wellhead gas may enterthe fuel rail 220. Upon entering the fuel rail 220, wellhead gas may besubstantially evenly distributed through the plurality of fuel railfingers 222. In some embodiments, the pressure of the wellhead gasentering the fuel rail may be about 60 psi. Wellhead gas may flowthrough the fuel rail fingers 222 to the plurality of combustionchambers 224 and exit each of the plurality of fuel rail fingers 222through a plurality of holes and/or openings in each of the fuel railfingers 222 that are each in fluid communication with a respectiveorifice 236. Wellhead gas may thereby exit the fuel rail finger 222through the orifice 236 and enter the internal cavity 240 of thecombustion chamber 224, where the wellhead gas may be combusted toproduce heat energy that may be used to heat water and/or otherchemicals used for hydrocarbon production and/or well completionprocesses.

In a first preferred embodiment of the wellhead gas burner 200, the fuelrail 220 may comprise a 1.5″ schedule 40 pipe, the fuel rail fingers 222may comprise a 1.0″ schedule 40 pipe, the combustion tube holder 226 maycomprise a 2.0″ inch schedule 40 pipe having a length of about 2.0″ (51mm), the combustion tube 228 may comprise a 1.5″ schedule 40 pipe havinga length of about 5.0″ (127 mm), and the orifice 236 may comprise a #40orifice. In a second preferred embodiment of the wellhead gas burner 200that may be used for substantially higher pressure wellhead gasapplications, the fuel rail 220 may comprise a 2.5″ schedule 80 pipe,the fuel rail fingers 222 may comprise a 1.25″ schedule 80 pipe, thecombustion tube holder 226 may comprise a 3.0″ inch schedule 80 pipehaving a length of about 2.0″ (51 mm), the combustion tube 228 maycomprise a 2.5″ schedule 80 pipe having a length of about 5.0″ (127 mm),and the orifice 236 may comprise a #40 orifice.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, a schematic of a wellhead gas burner 300and a detailed cutaway view of a combustion chamber 324 mounted to afuel rail finger 322 of the wellhead gas burner 300 is shown accordingto another embodiment of the disclosure. Wellhead gas burner 300 maygenerally be substantially similar to wellhead gas burner 116 in FIG. 1and wellhead gas burner 200 of FIGS. 2-3 and be capable of being used inthe superheater truck 112 of the wellhead gas superheater system 100 ofFIG. 1 in a manner substantially similar to that of wellhead gas burner200. Wellhead gas burner 300 comprises a supply line union 302, a firstsupply line section 304, a first valve 306, a second supply line section308, a pressure regulator 310, an expansion chamber 312, a fitting 314,a third supply line section 316, a second valve 318, a fuel rail 320, aplurality of fuel rail fingers 322 attached to the fuel rail 320, aplurality of combustion chambers 324 comprising a combustion tube holder326 and combustion tube 328 that are each attached to each fuel railfinger 322, and a plurality of combustion nozzles 330 that each comprisea threaded bung 332 welded to the fuel rail finger 322 and a threadednozzle 334 that is threadably inserted into a threaded opening 338 ofthe threaded bung 332 and that comprises an orifice 336 in fluidcommunication with the threaded bung 332 and/or a hole and/or opening inthe fuel rail finger 322 to allow wellhead gas that flows through thefuel rail finger 322 to escape the fuel rail finger 322 through theorifice 336 and into an internal cavity 340. However, wellhead gasburner 300 is configured to be integrated with a traditional gas burner342 that may be substantially similar to the traditional gas burner 118of FIG. 1. Further, wellhead gas burner 300 may also be configured to beused in the superheater truck 112 of the wellhead gas superheater system100 of FIG. 1.

The traditional gas burner 342 may generally comprise a traditional fuelrail 344, a plurality of traditional fuel rail fingers 346 connectedand/or coupled in fluid communication to the traditional fuel rail 344,and a plurality of traditional combustion chambers 348 on each of theplurality of traditional fuel rail fingers 346. Most generally, tointegrate the wellhead gas burner 300 with the traditional gas burner342, the fuel rail fingers 322 of the wellhead gas burner 300 may bedisposed (e.g. alternatingly) with the traditional fuel rail fingers 346of the traditional gas burner 342. Said differently, the fuel railfingers 322 may be interstitially spaced between adjacent traditionalfuel rail fingers 346. In some embodiments, wellhead gas burner 300 maycomprise the same number of fuel rail fingers 322 as the traditional gasburner 342 comprises traditional fuel rail fingers 346. However, inother embodiments, the wellhead gas burner 300 may comprise a differentnumber of fuel rail fingers 322 as compared to the traditional fuel railfingers 346. In yet other embodiments, the wellhead gas burner 300 maycomprise one more fuel rail finger 322 than the traditional gas burner342 comprises traditional fuel rail fingers 346, such that thetraditional fuel rail fingers 346 are substantially enveloped on eachside by a fuel rail finger 322 and each traditional fuel rail finger 346is substantially enveloped on each of two adjacent sides by a fuel railfinger 322 of the wellhead gas burner 300.

To facilitate integration of the wellhead gas burner 300 with thetraditional gas burner 342, in some embodiments, the combustion chambers324 of the wellhead gas burner 300 may be offset in a substantiallylongitudinal direction with respect to the length of a fuel rail finger322 and/or the length of a traditional fuel rail finger 346. In someembodiments, the combustion chambers 324 may be offset a longitudinaloffset distance equal to about one-half of the center-to-center distancebetween adjacent traditional combustion chambers 348. In other words,the combustion chambers 324 of the wellhead gas burner 300 may bedisposed such that the combustion chamber 324 is substantiallyequidistant from each adjacent traditional combustion chamber 348.However, in other embodiments, the combustion chambers 324 may bedisposed in a space between traditional combustion chambers 348 ofadjacent traditional fuel rail fingers 346 such that the combustionchambers 324 and the traditional combustion chambers 348 are notsubstantially in contact.

Alternatively, the wellhead gas burner 300 may be integrated with thetraditional gas burner 342, such that the fuel rail fingers 322 of thewellhead gas burner 300 are oriented perpendicularly with thetraditional fuel rail fingers 346 of the traditional gas burner 342. Insuch embodiments, the fuel rail fingers 322, 346 of one gas burner 300,342 may rest on top of the fuel rail fingers 322, 346 of the otherburner 300, 342. Additionally, the the combustion chambers 324 may beoffset a longitudinal offset distance equal to about one-half of thecenter-to-center distance between adjacent traditional combustionchambers 348. In other words, the combustion chambers 324 of thewellhead gas burner 300 may be disposed such that the combustion chamber324 is substantially equidistant from each adjacent traditionalcombustion chamber 348. However, in other embodiments, the combustionchambers 324 may be disposed in a space between traditional combustionchambers 348 of adjacent traditional fuel rail fingers 346 such that thecombustion chambers 324 and the traditional combustion chambers 348 donot substantially overlap.

The wellhead gas burner 300 may generally comprise substantially thesame number of combustions chambers 324 as the traditional gas burner342 comprises traditional combustion chambers 348. However, in otherembodiments, the wellhead gas burner 300 may comprise a different numberof combustion chambers 324 as the traditional gas burner 342 comprisestraditional combustion chambers 348. Additionally, in some embodiments,the components of the combustion chambers 324 and the components of thetraditional combustion chambers 348 may comprise substantially similarsizes. However, in some embodiments, the components of the combustionchambers 324 and the components of the traditional combustion chambers348 may comprise different sizes.

To further facilitate integration of the wellhead gas burner 300 withthe traditional gas burner 342, wellhead gas burner 300 may compriseflexible finger connections 323. The flexible finger connections 323 areconfigured to connect and/or couple the fuel rail 320 in fluidcommunication with the plurality of fuel rail fingers 322. Each fuelrail finger 322 comprises a single flexible finger connection 323 to thefuel rail 320. In some embodiments, the flexible finger connection 323may allow the fuel rail fingers 322 to move, float, and/or shift betweenthe traditional fuel rail fingers 346 and with respect to thetraditional fuel rail fingers 346. In some embodiments, the flexiblefinger connections 323 may comprise a flexible hose and/or a flexibletube that allows the fuel rail fingers 322 to individually move withrespect to the fuel rail 320 and/or the traditional fuel rail fingers346. However, in other embodiments, the flexible finger connections 323may comprise a rigid hose and/or tubing coupled with a flexible fitting.Configuring the wellhead gas burner 300 with flexible finger connections323 may provide for more versatile installation configurations ascompared to a fixed, welded connection between the fuel rail 220 and thefuel rail fingers 222 in wellhead gas burner 200 of FIG. 2.

Because the flexible finger connections 323 may allow the fuel railfingers 322 to move with respect to the fuel rail 320 and/or thetraditional fuel rail fingers 346, burner supports 350 may be employedto provide support to the fuel rail fingers 322 and/or the traditionalfuel rail fingers 346. The burner supports 350 may generally span acrossthe fuel rail fingers 322, 346 to support the weight of the fuel railfingers 322, 346 and/or prevent the fuel rail fingers 322 of thewellhead gas burner 300 from moving once integrated in a finalinstallation position with the traditional fuel rail fingers 346 of thetraditional gas burner 342. Further, the burner supports 350 maygenerally be disposed substantially perpendicularly to the fuel railfingers 322 and/or the traditional fuel rail fingers 346.

Still referring to FIGS. 4-5, in operation, the wellhead gas burner 300may receive wellhead gas from a wellhead, such as wellhead 102 in FIG.1, and be configured to operate in a substantially similar manner to theoperation of the wellhead gas burner 200 in FIGS. 2-3. The wellhead gasburner 300 may generally be configured as the primary source of thermalenergy to heat water and/or other chemicals used for hydrocarbonproduction and/or well completion processes, while the traditional gasburner 342 may be configured as a supplemental source of thermal energy.In some embodiments, at least about 150 psi of wellhead gas pressure isneeded to operate the wellhead gas burner 300. When the wellhead gaspressure drops below about 150 psi, the traditional gas burner 342 maybe operated to burn methane, ethane, propane, butane, gasoline, diesel,liquified natural gas (LNG), natural gas liquids (NGLs), wellhead gas,and/or any other appropriate fuel source to provide supplemental heat toheat well completion fluids until the wellhead gas pressure increases toat least about 150 psi. Additionally, in some embodiments, wellhead gasmay not be used. Instead, any two fuels may be used in the wellhead gasburner 300 and the traditional gas burner 342 (e.g. propane and LNG).Still further, in some embodiments, if the wellhead gas provides lessthan about 3500 BTU per cubic foot, the traditional gas burner 342 maybe operated to burn any other fuel to provide supplemental heat to heatwell completion fluids. In other embodiments, however, the traditionalgas burner 342 may be operated to provide supplemental heat when thewellhead gas provides less than about 3500 BTU per cubic foot. In yetother embodiments, however, the wellhead gas burner 300 may be operatedsimultaneously with the traditional gas burner 342 to provide anadditional amount of heat.

In a preferred embodiment of the wellhead gas burner 300, the fuel rail320 may comprise a 1.5″ schedule 40 pipe, the fuel rail fingers 322 maycomprise a 1.0″ schedule 40 pipe, the combustion tube holder 326 maycomprise a 2.0″ inch schedule 40 pipe having a length of about 2.0″ (51mm), the combustion tube 328 may comprise a 1.5″ schedule 40 pipe havinga length of about 5.0″ (127 mm), and the orifices 336 may comprise a #40orifice. Further, it will be appreciated that the orifices 336 of thewellhead gas burner 300 may, at least in some embodiments, comprise alarger orifice diameter than orifices of the traditional gas burner 342.For example, the orifices 336 of the wellhead gas burner 300 maycomprise a #40 orifice while the orifices of the traditional gas burner342 comprise a #50 orifice. Alternatively, as opposed to the threadedbung 332 and the threaded nozzle 334, each combustion nozzle 330 maycomprise an orifice 336 that comprises a hole drilled in the fuel railfinger 346. In such embodiments, the orifices 336 may comprise at leastabout a #30 orifice up to about a #50 orifice.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a flowchart of a method 400 of burning wellheadgas is shown according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The method400 may begin at block 402 by producing wellhead gas from a wellbore.The method 400 may continue at block 404 by expanding the wellhead gas.In some embodiments, this may be accomplished by flowing the wellheadgas through a pressure regulator and/or an expansion chamber. In someembodiments, expanding the wellhead gas may comprise reducing thepressure of the wellhead gas. The method 400 may continue at block 406by distributing the expanded wellhead gas. In some embodiments,distributing the wellhead gas may be accomplished by flowing thewellhead gas through a fuel rail that is in fluid communication with aplurality of fuel rail fingers. In some embodiments, the wellhead gasmay be further distributed from each fuel rail finger to a plurality ofcombustion chambers. The method 400 may continue at block 408 bycombusting the distributed wellhead gas. In some embodiments, thewellhead gas may be combusted by flowing the wellhead gas through aplurality of orifices into a plurality of combustion chambers. Themethod 400 may continue at block 410 by heating a fluid with the heatproduced as a result of combusting the distributed wellhead gas.However, in some embodiments, the wellhead gas burner may be integratedwith a traditional gas burner. In such embodiments, the method 400 mayinclude operating the traditional gas burner when the pressure of thegas produced from the wellhead drops below about 150 psi and/or when theBTU per cubic foot output from the wellhead gas burner drops below about3500 BTU per cubic foot. However, in some embodiments, the wellhead gasburner and the traditional burner may be operated simultaneously. Themethod 400 may conclude at block 412 by treating the wellbore with theheated fluid. In some embodiments, treating the wellbore may compriseusing the heated fluid in a hydraulic fracturing process.

Referring now to FIGS. 7-9, a schematic of a superheater truck 500 isshown according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Superheater truck500 may generally be substantially similar to superheater truck 112 ofFIG. 1. Superheater truck 500 comprises a burner box 502 comprising anintake port 504, a shell 508 configured to house at least one burner 510and at least one heat exchanger 511, and an exhaust port 512.Superheater truck 500 may also comprise a storage tank 120 configured tostore heated and/or unheated fluid received from the heat exchanger 511.Additionally, the storage tank 120 may comprise a vent 520. The intakeport 504 may be configured to allow a flow of air from outside of theshell 508 to enter the shell 508 and aid in combustion of gases by theburner 510. In some embodiments, the burner box 502 may comprise asingle intake port 504 that may be disposed in a side of the shell 508.However, in other embodiments, the burner box 502 may also comprise atleast one intake port 504 disposed on a bottom side of the burner box502. In this embodiment, the burner box 502 comprises an intake port 504disposed in at least one side of the shell 508 and two intake ports 504disposed on the bottom side of the burner box 502.

The shell 508 may generally be configured to house the burner 510 and/orprovide protection to the burner 510 from wind, rain, and/or otherenvironmental factors that may affect the combustion provided by theburner 510. The burner 510 may generally be substantially similar toburners 116, 118 of FIG. 1 and be configured to provide combustion of awellhead gas, propane, diesel fuel, and/or any other fuel source in thepresence of ambient air received through at least one of the intakeports 504. Further, heat produced from the combustion of the fuel sourcemay be used to heat the water and/or other chemicals used in hydrocarbonproduction and/or well completion processes, including, but not limitedto, fracking. The transfer of heat from the burner 510 to the waterand/or other chemicals may be accomplished by passing the water and/orother chemicals through a heat exchanger 511 disposed above the burner510. Accordingly, heated water and/or other chemicals heated by theburner 510 may be stored in the storage tank 120, which may comprise avent 520 configured to vent gases within the storage tank 120 to ambientin order to relieve pressure on the storage tank 120. Additionally,after combustion, combusted fuel and/or air/fuel mixture may be passedout of the burner box 502 and/or the shell 508 through the exhaust port512 disposed at an uppermost part of the shell 508 of the burner box502. Furthermore, the superheater truck 500 may comprise an intake flamearrestor 506 on the intake port 504, an exhaust port flame arrestor 514on the exhaust port 512, and/or a vent flame arrestor 522 on the vent520 of the storage tank 120.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a schematic of the burner box 502 of thesuperheater truck 500 of FIG. 7 is shown according to an embodiment ofthe disclosure. As stated, the burner box 502 comprises a plurality ofintake ports 504, an intake flame arrestor 506 on each intake port 504,a shell 508 that houses the burner 510 and a heat exchanger 511, anexhaust port 512, and an exhaust flame arrestor 514 on the exhaust port512. Most generally, each of the flame arrestors 506, 514 comprises aheat exchanging device having a plurality of substantially parallel rowsof fins 516 and having a plurality of corrugated fins 518 disposedbetween adjacent fins 516. The fins 516, 518 may generally be formedfrom a thermally conductive material (e.g. aluminum) and configured todissipate heat generated by the combustion of gases by the burner 510.As such, the flame arrestors 506, 514 may be configured to extinguishany combustion as gases pass through the flame arrestors 506, 514.

The intake port flame arrestors 506 may generally be received within theintake ports 504, disposed on an outside surface of the shell 508,and/or disposed on the outside of each of the intake ports 504. Theintake port flame arrestor 506 may dissipate heat generated by thecombustion of gases by the burner 510. Without the intake port flamearrestor 506, the heat from the combustion of gases by the burner 510may freely escape the burner box 502 through the intake ports 504 andmay ignite an external source of hydrocarbons and/or other combustiblegases outside of the burner box 502. As a result of dissipating thecombustion heat, the intake flame arrestor 506 may control the locationof the combustion. Accordingly, the intake port flame arrestor 506 maycontain the combustion within the shell 508 and/or the burner box 502and prevent, restrict, and/or substantially reduce the likelihood ofcombustion occurring externally to the burner box 502 at or near theintake ports 504. The intake port arrestor 506 thereby may be configuredto prevent ignition of an external source of hydrocarbons and/or othercombustible gases outside of the burner box 502.

The exhaust port flame arrestor 514 may generally be received within theexhaust port 512 and/or disposed on the outside of the exhaust port 512.The exhaust port flame arrestor 514 may also dissipate heat generated bythe combustion of gases by the burner 510. Without the exhaust portflame arrestor 514, the heat from the combustion of gases by the burner510 may freely escape the burner box 502 through the exhaust port 512and may ignite an external source of hydrocarbons and/or othercombustible gases outside of the burner box 502. As a result ofdissipating the combustion heat, the exhaust flame arrestor 514 maycontrol the location of the combustion and extinguish the combustion ofgases passing through the exhaust port 512 to ambient. Accordingly, theexhaust port flame arrestor 514 may contain the combustion within theshell 508 and/or the burner box 502 and prevent, restrict, and/orsubstantially reduce the likelihood of combustion occurring externallyto the burner box 502 at or near the exhaust port 512. The exhaust portarrestor 514 thereby may be configured to prevent ignition of anexternal source of hydrocarbons and/or other combustible gases outsideof the burner box 502. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that theintake port flame arrestor 506 and the exhaust port flame arrestor 514may collectively contain the combustion of gases within the burner boxand prevent ignition of an external source of hydrocarbons and/or othercombustible gases outside of the burner box 502.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a schematic of a portion of the vent 520 of thesuperheater truck 500 of FIG. 7 is shown according to an embodiment ofthe disclosure. As stated, the storage tank 120 may be configured tostore water and/or other chemicals used in hydrocarbon production and/orwell completion processes. The water and/or other chemicals used forthese processes may often be heated and pressurized. The vent 520 maygenerally comprise an elongated tube, box, or opening configured toprovide a pathway for heated and/or pressurized gases trapped within thestorage tank 120 to escape the storage tank 120 to relieve pressurewithin the storage tank 120. Such gases escaping the vent 520 may have atendency to ignite outside of the vent 520. As such, vent 520 comprisesa vent flame arrestor 522. The vent flame arrestor 522 may besubstantially similar to flame arrestors 506, 514 and comprise aplurality of substantially parallel rows of fins 516 and having aplurality of corrugated fins 518 disposed between adjacent fins 516.However, in some embodiments, the fins 516 may be arranged annularlyand/or radially about a center of the vent flame arrestor 522. The ventflame arrestor 522 may generally be configured to dissipate heat andextinguish the combustion of gases passing through the vent 520 and/orthe vent flame arrestor 522. Accordingly, any combustion that occurswithin the storage tank 120 and/or the vent 520 may be contained withinthe storage tank 120 and/or the vent 520 by the vent flame arrestor 522.Thus, the vent flame arrestor 522 may be configured to prevent,restrict, and/or substantially reduce the likelihood of combustionoccurring externally to the vent 520.

The vent 520 may also comprise a secondary vessel 524 configured tocapture, retain, and/or collect liquids that may attempt to escape fromthe storage tank 120 through the vent 520. The secondary vessel 524 maycomprise a drain that may be configured to allow selective removal ofthe liquids captured within an inner storage volume of the secondaryvessel 524. The secondary vessel 524 may comprise a hose that carriesfluids from the vent 520 to a secondary storage tank. However, in otherembodiments, the secondary vessel 524 may comprise an inline vesseldisposed between the storage tank 120 and the vent flame arrestor 522.As such, it will be appreciated that the secondary vessel 524 may bedisposed upstream from the vent flame arrestor 522 with respect to aflow of fluids from the storage tank 120 through the vent 520 and thevent flame arrestor 522. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the ventflame arrestor 522 may be disposed on a distal end of the vent 520. Thesecondary vessel 524 may further comprise a liquid level indicator 528.In some embodiments, the liquid level indicator 528 may comprise a sightglass that allows for visual inspection of a liquid level within thesecondary vessel 524. However, in other embodiments, the liquid levelindicator 528 may comprise a mechanical and/or electronic gauge thatindicates the liquid level within the secondary vessel 524.

Referring now to FIG. 10, a schematic of a superheater truck 600 isshown according to another embodiment of the disclosure. Superheatertruck 600 may generally be substantially similar to superheater truck500. However, superheater truck 600 comprises an electric heating system602 instead of the burner box 502 of superheater truck 500. Superheatertruck 600 may also comprise a heat exchanger 604 that may besubstantially similar to heat exchanger 511 of superheater truck 500. Itwill be appreciated that in some embodiments, superheater truck 600 mayalso comprise a storage tank 120, a vent 520, a vent flame arrestor 522,and/or a secondary vessel 524.

The electric heating system 602 may generally comprise at least oneelectric resistive heating element that may produce heat when anelectrical current is applied. However, in some embodiments, theelectric heating system 602 may comprise a plurality of electricresistive heating elements. The heat produced by the electric heatingsystem 602 may provide direct and/or indirect heat to the heat exchanger604 to heat water and/or other chemicals used in hydrocarbon productionand/or well completion processes, including, but not limited to,fracking. The transfer of heat from the electrical heating system 602 tothe water and/or other chemicals may be accomplished by passing thewater and/or other chemicals through the heat exchanger 604 that issubjected to the heat produced by the electric heating system 602.Furthermore, after the water and/or other chemicals are heated by theelectrical heating system 602, the heated water and/or other chemicalsmay be stored in the storage tank 120. It will be appreciated that byproviding superheater truck 600 with an electrical heating system 602,the burner box 502 of superheater truck 500 may be eliminated, therebypreventing ignition of an external source of hydrocarbons and/or othercombustible gases present in the ambient air.

Referring now to FIG. 11, a schematic of a superheater truck 700 isshown according to another alternative embodiment of the disclosure.Superheater truck 700 may generally be substantially similar tosuperheater truck 500 and/or superheater truck 600. However, superheatertruck 700 comprises an infrared heating system 702 instead of the burnerbox 502 of superheater truck 500 and the electrical heating system 602of superheater truck 600. Superheater truck 700 may also comprise a heatexchanger 704 that may be substantially similar to heat exchanger 511 ofsuperheater truck 500 and/or heat exchanger 604 of superheater truck600. It will be appreciated that in some embodiments, superheater truck700 may also comprise a storage tank 120, a vent 520, a vent flamearrestor 522, and/or a secondary vessel 524.

The infrared heating system 702 may generally comprise at least oneinfrared burner and/or catalyst heater that be fueled by a hydrocarbonfuel, wellhead gas, propane, diesel fuel, and/or any other fuel sourcein the presence of ambient air. As such, the infrared burner and/orcatalyst heater may be configured to emit infrared heat as a result ofburning at least one of the hydrocarbon fuel, wellhead gas, propane,diesel fuel, and/or any other fuel source. However, in some embodiments,the infrared heating system 702 may comprise a plurality of infraredburners and/or catalyst heaters. The infrared heat produced by theinfrared heating system 702 may be directed to the heat exchanger 704 toheat water and/or other chemicals used in hydrocarbon production and/orwell completion processes, including, but not limited to, fracking. Thetransfer of infrared heat from the infrared heating system 702 to thewater and/or other chemicals may be accomplished by passing the waterand/or other chemicals through the heat exchanger 704 that is subjectedto the infrared heat produced by the infrared heating system 702.Furthermore, after the water and/or other chemicals are heated by theinfrared heating system 702, the heated water and/or other chemicals maybe stored in the storage tank 120. It will be appreciated that byproviding superheater truck 700 with an electrical heating system 702,the burner box 502 of superheater truck 500 may be eliminated, therebypreventing ignition of an external source of hydrocarbons and/or othercombustible gases present in the ambient air.

Referring now to FIG. 12, a flowchart of a method 800 of operating asuperheater truck is shown according to an embodiment of the disclosure.The method 800 may begin at block 802 by providing a superheater truckwith a flame arrestor. In some embodiments, the flame arrestor may beintake port flame arrestor 506, exhaust port flame arrestor 514, and/orvent flame arrestor 522 of superheater truck 500. The method 800 maycontinue at block 804 by combusting a fuel within a burner of thesuperheater truck. In some embodiments, the burner may be burner 510 ofsuperheater truck 500. The method 800 may continue at block 806 bypreventing combustion of a flammable substance outside at least one of aburner box and a vent of a storage tank of the superheater truck. Insome embodiments, this may be accomplished by at least one of the flamearrestors 506, 514, 522 dissipating heat produced by the combustion ofthe fuel within the burner 510 and/or dissipating heat produced by thecombustion of gases within a vent 520 of the superheater truck 500. Insome embodiments, this may also be accomplished by at least one of theflame arrestors 506, 514, 522 containing the combustion within at leastone of the burner box 510 and the vent 520 of the superheater truck 500.

At least one embodiment is disclosed and variations, combinations,and/or modifications of the embodiment(s) and/or features of theembodiment(s) made by a person having ordinary skill in the art arewithin the scope of the disclosure. Alternative embodiments that resultfrom combining, integrating, and/or omitting features of theembodiment(s) are also within the scope of the disclosure. Wherenumerical ranges or limitations are expressly stated, such expressranges or limitations should be understood to include iterative rangesor limitations of like magnitude falling within the expressly statedranges or limitations (e.g., from about 1 to about 10 includes, 2, 3, 4,etc., greater than 0.10 includes 0.11, 0.12, 0.13, etc.). For example,whenever a numerical range with a lower limit, R_(l), and an upperlimit, R_(u), is disclosed, any number falling within the range isspecifically disclosed. In particular, the following numbers within therange are specifically disclosed R=R_(l)+k*(R_(u)−R_(l)), wherein k is avariable ranging from 1 percent to 100 percent with a 1 percentincrement, i.e., k is 1 percent, 2 percent, 3 percent, 4 percent, 5percent, . . . , 50 percent, 51 percent, 52 percent, . . . , 95 percent,96 percent, 97 percent, 98 percent, 99 percent, or 100 percent. Unlessotherwise stated, the term “about” shall mean plus or minus 10 percentof the subsequent value. Moreover, any numerical range defined by two Rnumbers as defined in the above is also specifically disclosed. Use ofthe term “optionally” with respect to any element of a claim means thatthe element is required, or alternatively, the element is not required,both alternatives being within the scope of the claim. Use of broaderterms such as comprises, includes, and having should be understood toprovide support for narrower terms such as consisting of, consistingessentially of, and comprised substantially of. Accordingly, the scopeof protection is not limited by the description set out above but isdefined by the claims that follow, that scope including all equivalentsof the subject matter of the claims. Each and every claim isincorporated as further disclosure into the specification and the claimsare embodiment(s) of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A superheater truck, comprising: a heat source; a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between heat received from the heat source and a fluid within the heat exchanger; and at least one flame arrestor.
 2. The superheater truck of claim 1, further comprising: a storage tank in fluid communication with the heat exchanger.
 3. The superheater truck of claim 2, wherein the storage tank comprises a vent, and wherein the at least one flame arrestor is disposed on the vent.
 4. The superheater truck of claim 3, wherein the vent comprises a secondary vessel configured to capture fluids that attempt to escape from the storage tank through the vent.
 5. The superheater truck of claim 4, wherein the secondary vessel comprises a drain configured to allow selective removal of the fluids captured within an inner storage volume of the secondary vessel.
 6. The superheater truck of claim 1, wherein the heat source comprises a burner configured to burn at least one of wellhead gas, propane, and diesel fuel.
 7. The superheater truck of claim 6, wherein the burner is housed within a burner box, and wherein the at least one flame arrestor is connected to the burner box.
 8. The superheater truck of claim 7, wherein the burner box comprises at least one intake port and at least one exhaust port.
 9. The superheater truck of claim 8, wherein the at least one flame arrestor is an intake flame arrestor connected to at least one intake port.
 10. The superheater truck of claim 9, wherein the at least one flame arrestor is an exhaust flame arrestor connected to the at least one exhaust port.
 11. The superheater truck of claim 1, wherein the heat source comprises an electric heating system.
 12. The superheater truck of claim 11, wherein the electric heating system comprises at least one resistive heating element.
 13. The superheater truck of claim 1, wherein the heat source comprises an infrared heating system.
 14. The superheater truck of claim 13, wherein the infrared heating system comprises at least one of an infrared burner and a catalyst heater.
 15. A method of operating a superheater truck, comprising: providing a superheater truck with a heat source, a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between heat received from the heat source and a fluid within the heat exchanger, and a flame arrestor; and preventing combustion of a flammable substance outside at least one of a burner box and a vent of a storage tank of the superheater truck.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the heat source comprises a burner configured to burn at least one of wellhead gas, propane, and diesel fuel.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the preventing combustion of the flammable substance outside at least one of the burner box and the vent of the storage tank of the superheater truck is accomplished by providing the flame arrestor on an intake port of the burner box configured to house the burner.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the preventing combustion of the flammable substance outside at least one of the burner box and the vent of the storage tank of the superheater truck is accomplished by providing the flame arrestor on an exhaust port of the burner box configured to house the burner.
 19. The method of claim 15, wherein the preventing combustion of the flammable substance outside at least one of the burner box and the vent of the storage tank of the superheater truck is accomplished by providing the flame arrestor on the vent of the storage tank of the superheater truck.
 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: preventing combustion occurring outside of the storage tank from entering the storage tank, wherein the preventing combustion occurring outside of the storage tank from entering the storage tank is accomplished by providing the flame arrestor on the vent of the storage tank of the superheater truck. 